Texas Wedding Venue Denies Gay Wedding, Gets Dropped by the Knot

A Texas wedding venue is finding itself in the cross-hairs of major controversy this morning after denying a gay couples request to rent the facility for their upcoming nuptials. According NBCDFW.com reports that The Venue at Waterstone, refused to allow Aaron Lucero and Jeff Cannon to rent the venue (located in Celina, Texas) for their planned November 2019 wedding.

The couple got engaged in June of last year while vacationing in Europe, and started looking at venues a few months later. In December, Lucero and Cannon planned to visit The Venue at Waterstone, but the night before - the couple got an email from the owners asking them not to come. According to the report, the email said:

is a representation of the bride of Christ joined to the groom (Christ who is the very God we worship). Given His plan and design for marriage, we dare not veer from His instruction... we are not able to violate our conscience."

Wedding planning website The Knot, has removed The Venue at Waterstone as one of their listed venue vendors. The couple claims to have received support and encouragement from friends, family, and strangers from around the world.

This kind of refusal based on sexual orientation isn't illegal in Texas, but the couple says that the venue's policy should be stated clearly on their website.

In a statement, owner of the venue, Lyle Wise had this to say:

We are a family of believers. We love all people because Christ first loved us; Jeffrey and Aaron included. We cannot violate the convictions God has placed within us. In love, we would never affirm anyone in something that was to their detriment."